Extracts from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adapted at the 56th World Health Assembly, Geneva, May13-21, 2003

Keeping in mind

In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law. The parties shall cooperate in the formulation of proposed measures, procedures and guidelines for the implementation of the convention and the protocols to which they are parties.

The parties shall cooperate, as appropriate, with competent international and regional inter-governmental organizations and other bodies to achieve the objectives of the convention and the protocols to which they are parties. The parties shall, within means and resources at their disposal, cooperate to raise financial resources for effective implementation of the convention through bilateral and multilateral funding mechanisms.

Price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco: The parties recognize that price and tax measures are an effective and important means of reducing tobacco consumption by various segments of the population, in particular young persons.

Without prejudice to the sovereign right of the parties to determine and establish their taxation policies, each party should take account of its national health objectives concerning tobacco control and adopt or maintain, as appropriate, measures which may include: (a) implementing tax policies and, where appropriate, price policies, on tobacco products so as to contribute to the health objectives aimed at reducing tobacco consumption; and (b) prohibiting or restricting, as appropriate, sales to and/or importations by international travellers of tax- and duty-free tobacco products.

The parties shall provide rates of taxation for tobacco products and trends in tobacco consumption in their periodic reports to the conference of the parties...

Non-price measures to reduce the demand for tobacco: The parties recognize that comprehensive non-price measures are an effective and important means of reducing tobacco consumption. Each party shall adopt and implement effective legislative, executive, administrative or other measures necessary to implement its obligations...and shall cooperate, as appropriate, with each other directly or through competent international bodies with a view to their implementation...

Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke: parties recognize that scientific evidence has unequivocally established that exposure to tobacco smoke causes death, disease and disability. Each party shall adopt and implement in areas of existing national jurisdiction as determined by national law and actively promote at other jurisdictional levels, the adoption and implementation of effective legislative, executive, administrative and/or other measures, providing for protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor workplaces, public transport, indoor public places and, as appropriate, other public places.

Regulation of the contents of tobacco products: The conference of the parties, in consultation with competent international bodies, shall propose guidelines for testing and measuring the contents and emissions of tobacco products, and for the regulation of these contents and emissions. Each party shall, where approved by competent national authorities, adopt and implement effective legislative, executive and administrative or other measures for such testing and measuring, and for such regulation.

Regulation of tobacco product disclosures: Each party shall, in accordance with its national law, adopt and implement effective legislative, executive, administrative or other measures requiring manufacturers and importers of tobacco products to disclose to governmental authorities information about the contents and emissions of tobacco products. Each party shall further adopt and implement effective measures for public disclosure of information about the toxic constituents of the tobacco products and the emissions that they may produce.

Packaging and labelling of tobacco product: Each party shall, within a period of three years after entry into force of this convention for that party, adopt and implement, in accordance with its national law, effective measures to ensure that: tobacco product packaging and labelling do not promote a tobacco product by any means that are false, misleading, deceptive or likely to create an erroneous impression about its characteristics, health effects, hazards or emissions, including any term, descriptor, trademark, figurative or any other sign that directly or indirectly creates the false impression that a particu- lar tobacco product is less harmful than other tobacco products.